Phenikaa Group uses core Busmap tech to support Vietnam's sustainable rise

Phenikaa MaaS developed BusMap application to enable the easy planning of bus journeys

The core map technology was first applied in the development of the BusMap application by Le Yen Thanh, CEO of Phenikaa MaaS, to provide free support for people to travel by public bus conveniently and easily as well as save more time and money.

From a charge-free “national” transport app...

Up to now, the BusMap application has been downloaded more than 2 million times and is in the top 1 per cent of applications with more than one million downloads on Google Play and more than 400,000 monthly active users.

According to Thanh, an average of 50 million passengers travel by bus in Ho Chi Minh City every month and about 20 per cent of them use the BusMap application.

Phenikaa MaaS has deployed BusMap in three big cities of Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Danang, as well as some of the biggest cities in Southeast Asia such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

The outstanding features of the BusMap application allow users to access a map system of inner-city bus routes, check the buses’ routes in real-time via GPS, as well as find the fastest, most cost-efficient, or most hassle-free routes with clear visibility of the time of arrival to a pick-up point. With these functions, the BusMap application has made transport smarter for the community, promoting the development of the public transport system in Vietnam and other countries and reducing congestions and environmental pollution.

Not only is BusMap popular among Vietnamese people, it is also the preferred choice of travel app for international travellers due to its English language support to help tourists and foreigners living and working in Vietnam look up information and conveniently travel by public transport.

…to the epidemiological CovidMap for the people…

The CovidMap was set up by Phenikaa MaaS to assist the people and authorities of Danang rein in the COVID-19 outbreak

Phenikaa MaaS has supported Danang to build an epidemiological CovidMap to trace the pandemic outbreak in August 2020. CovidMap is a tool to help people easily and quickly identify places with a high risk of infection and plan their journeys accordingly, avoiding going into epidemic areas.

At the same time, CovidMap also helps local authorities monitor and access data quickly and accurately to prevent fake information spreading on the mass media.

The solution has been deployed for free in more than 10 provinces and cities nationwide, including Bac Giang, Danang, Hai Duong, Ha Tinh, and Lang Son, and is expanding to support others.

Thanh said that Phenikaa MaaS will support cities and provinces in Vietnam to add more information about vaccination registration and vaccination confirmation on the CovidMap soon, based on the actual local situation as a practical solution to support Vietnam's fight against COVID-19.

…and promoting digital transformation in smart transportation and smart cities

Phenikaa MaaS has released various technological products and solutions, including the smart school administration system PHX Smart School

After receiving investment $1.5 million from Phenikaa Group, Phenikaa MaaS (formerly BusMap JSC) officially became a member of the Phenikaa ecosystem. With comprehensive support from the parent company, Phenikaa MaaS can take advantage of the synergy of Phenikaa Group and its subsidiaries in the fields of technology and industry, especially benefiting from the research and scientific achievements of the group's research institutes and centres to develop new and highly-applicable technological products and solutions and promote the digital transformation of businesses and government agencies.

To support the digital transformation of transport companies, Phenikaa MaaS has introduced its smart mobility solution applying AI and big data technology. This is a package of comprehensively integrated solutions to support the construction of smart transportation systems in urban areas and offer solutions to upgrade the management capacity of businesses, management agencies, and transport businesses, allowing vehicles to move automatically and reduce time and workload.

The smart mobility solution is not only trusted by large enterprises and domestic authorities such as VinBus and the Danang government but was also used to cooperate with various reputable international partners. For instance, Phenikaa MaaS has cooperated with Grab to deploy a bus ride solution combined with technology motorbike taxi. This was the first time Grab has cooperated with a startup to deploy such a solution to save costs and time for users, and increase its own competitive advantage in the market.

Within Phenikaa Group, Phenikaa MaaS' core map technology has been used to develop the Phenikaa smart autonomous vehicle, a Level 4/5 autonomous vehicle.

In addition to mobility, in order to build a smart operation system for schools and educational institutions, Phenkiaa MaaS has been using its BusMap technology in the PHX Smart School technology solution package by PHX Service and Technology Solution for Education JSC (another member of Phenikaa Group). This is a smart technological solution for schools and educational centres with a range of useful integrated features which can be applied in teaching and studying activities, management, operation and supervision. The solution supports all four primary stakeholders in education: students, parents, teachers, and managers.

The PHX Smart School solution has been implemented in large schools in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and talks with international partners are currently ongoing to implement it at schools in the Middle East with positive feedback.

After nine years of operation and development, starting with the core technology of the BusMap application, Phenikaa MaaS has grown steadily stronger and made its mark on the national economy and society. Phenikaa MaaS aims to be a leading provider of smart city and smart mobility solutions, products, and services. The company aims to be a key driver of the national digital transformation process, enhancing the competitiveness of Vietnamese enterprises sustainably for a smart and liveable life.